Looking Back
by PerrythePlatypusGirl
Summary: Ralph has been a misfit and a reject in his family of carpenters for years. But when his family moves to Arendelle, Ralph comes face to face with the lovely queen, and everything suddenly changes.


The first time Ralph saw Queen Elsa, he didn't get to talk to her.

His family had just arrived in Arendelle, looking for work. A family of carpenters, they were...well, except for Ralph. He seemed to be better at breaking things than building them. He wasn't exactly a family favorite, unlike his younger brother Felix, who seemed to have a natural talent for building things.

Apparently, the fair kingdom of Arendelle needed quite a few repairs done, as they had apparently been hit by some freak snowstorm a few months back. When Ralph's family heard this, they all leapt for joy and immediately offered their services.

Well...except for Ralph. He just kind of sat aside so that he wouldn't break anything, while Felix got all the glory from everyone around him. Given the circumstances, Ralph should have probably _hated_ Felix, but…

"Here you go, brother!" Felix said after returning from a party one day. "I got you some of the cake! Why won't you come celebrate with us?"

Ralph grinned and rolled his eyes as he accepted the gift from Felix. "Nah, it's fine," he replied. "The party's for you, anyway. They don't want the screw-up of the family going out there to ruin everything. Besides, I like it in here, away from the...noise."

Felix looked at his older brother sadly and turned toward the door. "Ok…" he said. "But you know, if you ever change your mind…"

...well, it was impossible to hate Felix.

Eventually, his family earned themselves such a good reputation that the queen of Arendelle herself requested to see them. Ralph had heard several stories about this queen. Apparently she had some strange ice magic in her body, and it had been _her _ who caused the snowstorm that had frozen Arendelle in the middle of the summer.

She sounded terrifying.

But nevertheless, Ralph and his family went to see the queen. The servants from the palace came and escorted the four of them to the castle, where they all waited in the royal hall for the queen to appear.

Well...except for Ralph. He was told to stand in the back of the hall so as to avoid breaking something important.

Soon, they were told that the queen had arrived, and everyone in the room stood up quickly. Ralph looked toward the sound of the footsteps with a cringe, expecting to see an old, horrifying ice sorceress appear and freeze them all in their places.

Instead, he saw the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his life.

_THIS is the woman who froze the whole kingdom?_ Ralph thought to himself. _B-but...but...how? _

Queen Elsa smiled at them all and invited them to sit. The servants gave them all some tea and food, and the queen discussed how grateful she was that they had done so much for Arendelle. Ralph wanted to get a few words in himself, but he was stuck in the back corner of the room. Queen Elsa glanced at him warily a few times, but that was about the end of their interaction. From behind a curtain, the queen's younger sister Princess Anna stared out at them curiously, and she seemed more interested in Ralph than anything else.

The meeting soon ended, and the family got up to go back home. Felix seemed pretty gleeful that his work had been recognized by the queen. Ralph was happy for his brother, but all he could really think about was how much he had wanted to talk to the queen himself.

As they walked out the door, Ralph snuck one last glance at Queen Elsa.

She didn't look back.

* * *

Eventually, their family had found themselves permanently settled in Arendelle. Felix met a tough but kindhearted woman named Tamora Calhoun, and next thing Ralph knew, the two of them were married. Ralph had yet to find luck in the world of romance, but he did find himself an unlikely friend-a tiny orphan girl by the name of Vanellope, whom Ralph and Felix had more or less adopted as a little sister.

Their family continued to do well in their construction work around the kingdom, working several jobs for people, including the queen herself. Even Ralph had found a way to be useful in his family's business. They almost never let him near a building in construction, but he was usually the one to go shop for supplies-especially heavy ones.

Today, Ralph was with Felix, Vanellope, and Tamora as they were in the Arendelle marketplace, getting ready to grab the last of their supplies before they headed home. Ralph was carrying a rather large piece of lumber on his shoulder, and it wasn't helping that Vanellope decided to sit on top of it and make his load heavier.

The small girl kicked her legs joyfully atop her perch on Ralph's shoulder and looked up at the castle nearby. "Hey Ralph, have you ever been inside the palace?" she asked curiously.

"Once or twice," Ralph grunted. "It's pretty nice in there."

Vanellope continued to stare up at the castle with sparkling eyes. "I bet I'd make the perfect queen," she declared. "Everyone would bow to me, and I'd order them all around." She held her head high and snickered, giving Ralph a soft kick in the arm. "Onward, my trusty steed!"

Ralph rolled his eyes. "I'm not your steed."

"Would you rather be my _donkey?"_

Ralph chuckled lightly and let Vanellope continue revelling in her little fantasy...when suddenly, he noticed that something was missing. "Uh, Vanellope? Where did Felix and Tamora go?"

Vanellope's eyes widened and she looked around for them. "Uh-oh. I don't see them. Looks like we got seperated again…"

Ralph groaned. "Again?! Can't we ever go through this stupid marketplace without losing those two?"

"Maybe they just wanted some _alone time~"_ Vanellope giggled.

"Whatever. Let's just go to the meeting place."

Vanellope hopped off of Ralph's shoulder and raced in front of him to a small, secluded area of the market, where they always met if they ever got separated from each other.

Ralph looked around for his brother in annoyance, the piece of lumber still on his shoulder. He frantically turned around a few degrees to his left when-

_WHACK!_

Ralph froze as he sensed the large piece of wood he was holding hit something behind him. Vanellope stared at him in wide-eyed shock before confirming his fears: "Ralph, you just hit someone!"

Ralph winced, and turned around to see who it was..and nearly dropped the piece of wood. It was Queen Elsa!

"Oh my gosh!" he gasped, finally setting the wood down and kneeling down to the small woman. "Your majesty! Queen Elsa! Are you alright?!"

The queen didn't answer. Apparently, the impact of the hit had knocked her out cold.

Around them, the crowd had started to slow down, and people began to whisper as they recognized their queen laying on the ground. Ralph began to panic. This did _not _look good.

Felix and Tamora ran over to them from the crowd. "Wh-what happened?!" Tamora cried.

Before Ralph could reply, Princess Anna suddenly emerged from the thickening crowd, and she looked like she would nearly faint herself. "Elsa!" she cried, running over.

Ralph realized how bad this must have looked, a big guy like him leaning over an unconscious queen...yikes. He started to stand up so he could explain himself, but the princess swiftly kicked him in the shin, causing him to yelp and fall back down again.

"What did you do to my sister, you giant freak?!" the young woman cried, giving him another kick. She would have probably tackled him if the guard who was with her hadn't stopped her.

"H-hey, cool it, princess!" Ralph snapped. "I didn't mean to hit her, it was an accident!"

"Yeah, Ralph was just turning around with his wood, and she was standing behind him!" Vanellope defended. "I saw the whole thing!"

"I-it's true, your highness," Felix added. "My brother would never intentionally hurt anyone…"

Princess Anna was still suspicious, but now she was more focused on checking on her sister. The queen was still unconscious, but she otherwise seemed alright.

"Princess Anna," the guard began. "We need to get the queen to the palace."

Princess Anna nodded, and they picked up the queen and began to carry her through the alarmed crowd. "It's alright…" the princess reassured them. "She'll be fine…"

The guard glared over at Ralph and his company. "You are coming with us, if you please."

"Yessir," Felix replied. The four of them followed the guard and the two royal sisters to the palace, staring at Ralph as he cowered under his shoulders to shield himself from the judgemental glances and whispers.

The four of them walked silently until they reached the palace, where Ralph had to explain over and over that he hadn't meant to hit the queen. Even with Felix, Tamora and Vanellope backing him up, it still looked like he was going to be in a lot of trouble.

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, Queen Elsa finally began to stir in her bed.

Princess Anna's eyes widened and she dashed over to her sister's side. "Elsa! Are you okay?"

Queen Elsa looked around in confusion before looking up at her sister. "Wh...what happened?" she asked.

Princess Anna paused, recalling the events. "Uh, well...we were on our walk in town, you see, and then we got separated, and then…" she quickly turned and pointed an accusing finger at Ralph. "...and then that guy over there hit you in the head with a giant piece of lumber!"

"It was an _accident!_" Ralph cried for the umpteenth time. He turned to Queen Elsa in desperation. "Please, your majesty, you've got to believe me! I didn't mean to hurt you! Forgive me, I'll make it up to you in any way I can!" He hastily gave an awkward bow, and his three friends followed suit.

Queen Elsa just blinked, still trying to process the information she was hearing. "Aren't...aren't you those construction brothers?" she questioned.

Felix looked up and smiled. "Y-yes, your highness! That's us! We were just...out getting supplies. My brother was carrying the lumber, and...well, he never meant you any harm, that;s for sure!"

Queen Elsa nodded and adjusted herself in her bed. "Alright then. I understand. You're free to go."

Princess Anna, Ralph, and the guards all stared at her in surprise. "Wha-?!"

"Your highness, are you sure…?" one of the guards asked.

Queen Elsa nodded again. "Of course. It was an accident, wasn't it? I see no reason to keep them here any longer."

Ralph blinked in stunned silence. "You mean...you forgive me?"

The queen looked directly at him and smiled, sending butterflies into his stomach. "Yes, you are forgiven," she chuckled. "We all make mistakes sometimes."

The four friends sighed in relief. "Th-thank you, your highness," Felix said politely. "And we're so sorry for the inconvenience."

They exchanged polite nods as the four of them were finally led out of the queen's room toward the exit of the palace, relieved. "Well, that didn't go too bad," Tamora commented.

Ralph didn't really pay attention. He was too busy remembering the way the queen had smiled at him. Cautiously, he turned around to sneak one last peek at her.

She didn't look back at him.

* * *

Explaining the fiasco to his parents had been, surprisingly, tougher than explaining it to the queen. However, everything had apparently been forgotten by the next day, and Ralph went once more with Vanellope, Felix, and Tamora to the market to get the rest of the supplies that they had not gotten yesterday.

Vanellope wasn't riding on his shoulder today, thank goodness, but she was still sticking to Ralph like glue, babbling on about whatever was on her mind at that particular moment. Ralph nodded distractedly as she talked, turning his head from side to side. He felt rather tense, and he didn't know why. He didn't really know what he was looking for anyway-it's not like the queen would just randomly show up in the market again, right?

"Hey Ralph, where are you going?" Vanellope asked him, snapping the man out of his thoughts. "We're gonna lose Felix and Tamora again!"

"Ugh, right," Ralph said with a roll of his eyes. "Let's follow them."

Ralph gently pushed a few people out of his way, mumbling a few grunt "excuse me"s as he struggled not to lose sight of his brother. The effort proved to be futile, however, as he was soon distracted by a small hand tapping his shoulder.

Ralph turned around in annoyance and was about to snap at the person, until he recognized the young woman who was standing behind him.

"P-Princess Anna?!" he cried, jumping a little. Turning his head slightly, he froze in his spot when he saw who was standing next to her. "A-and Queen Elsa? Wha-?!"

Queen Elsa observed his jumpy mannerisms and couldn't help but smirk a little. "What's the matter? Are you going to hit me again?"

"What? N-no way, I just...uh...a-are you guys out on a walk again?"

Princess Anna giggled. "Of course, we go on a walk every day!" she declared proudly. Then she looked at the ground in shame. "Um, anyway, I just saw you and thought would apologize for the way I acted yesterday-it was wrong of me to judge you like that."

Ralph blinked in surprise, then gave a nervous smile. "Huh? N-no, don't worry about that. I don't blame you at all, I mean...I am kind of a scary-looking guy, heh heh…"

The two young women gave a curt chuckle, and Queen Elsa spoke up. "Incidentally, I've actually been meaning to ask you and your family about something…"

"Oh, sure…" said Ralph. "I just...I need to find Felix."

Suddenly, Vanellope perked up and pulled on Ralph's pant leg. "He's over there, Ralph," she said, pointing. "Him and Tamora are waiting for you."

Ralph looked down at the little girl in surprise, suddenly realizing that she had been watching him act like a fool in front of the queen this whole time.

But there was no time to worry about that now. "Uh, thanks, Vanellope. This way, your highnesses…"

The crowds parted easily now that the queen and princess were present, and Ralph easily led the others over to where Felix and Tamora were waiting.

"Your majesties," Felix greeted with a polite bow. "How very nice to see you again."

"Hello," the queen replied courteously. "If you don't mind terribly, there's something I need to ask you about…"

The queen and princess led the four friends up a hill just a short walk away from the marketplace. "There have been talks of building a new schoolhouse for the kingdom's children," the queen explained. "You see, the old one was destroyed due to the, um...sudden freeze-over last summer."

They all nodded in understanding.

"Anyway, the construction site has already been decided," said Princess Anna, "But there's still the remains of an old, unused building in its place. You'll have to clear it out completely before you start building."

"You don't mind that, do you?" Queen Elsa asked.

"No problem at all," said Felix. "Where exactly is the site?"

They reached the top of the hill and the princess pointed down to an abandoned building in the middle of town. "Right over there. That's the one that needs to be demolished."

Vanellope suddenly snickered at the sight of it. "Wow. That's a tiny building. Ralph could probably break it just by _touching_ it."

Ralph rolled his eyes and the two royal sisters looked down at her with delight. "Really, now?" Queen Elsa asked, glancing at Ralph momentarily.

Vanellope nodded proudly. "Yep. Ralph's the _master_ of destroying things! He could tear down a building like that with his _bare hands!"_

"It's true," Tamora added. "I've seen him do it. At all the wrong times."

"Ok, well, why don't you guys stop talking about it now?" Ralph snapped, annoyed.

"That sounds quite impressive," Queen Elsa piped up suddenly, making Ralph flinch. "Can you really do that?"

"Uh…" Ralph hesitated, turning to look right into her icy blue eyes. "Y-yesss…" he gulped. "I-I guess I could tear that old building down pretty easily...it would...save a lot of time, right?"

Felix nodded, and Queen Elsa's eyes brightened up. "I'd very much appreciate that...Ralph, right?"

Ralph nodded, feeling those butterflies in his stomach once again. "Th-that's right…"

Princess Anna started bouncing in excitement at the idea of seeing Ralph do something so extraordinary, while the queen kept her calm demeanor and turned to Felix. "Then it's all settled. Can you start tomorrow?"

"Of course," Felix replied. "I will tell my father tonight, and we will get to work first thing in the morning."

"Thank you," the queen replied, and the two sisters said goodbye and took their leave.

As they walked away, Vanellope gave Ralph a nudge, and he just glared down at her. But when she wasn't looking, Ralph glanced up once more at the queen as she walked away.

She didn't look back.

* * *

"Vanellope…" Ralph began in annoyance. "What in the world are all these _people_ doing here?"

Vanellope looked around curiously at the small crowd that was gathering around the closed-off construction site. The little girl shrugged. "No idea," she replied. "Maybe they all heard about how you can wreck a building with your bare hands, so they came to watch."

Ralph rolled his eyes. "Oh, so I'm a freak show now? Just wonderful."

"Hey, look on the bright side!" Vanellope told him. "Queen Elsa's here! You can impress her now!"

Ralph shot Vanellope a look. "Who said anything about impressing the queen?!"

Vanellope rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Oh, come on, Ralph, you're about as subtle as those gigantic hands of yours."

Ralph's face went hot. "Whatever. Just stand over there so you don't get hurt."

Vanellope skipped away in giggles and gave him a wink as she left. Ralph watched her go and turned to look at all the people who were there. His gaze fell upon Felix, who gave him a thumbs up, to Queen Elsa and Princess Anna, who were watching in anticipation, and finally, to his father, who had a disapprovingly confused look on his face.

Ralph turned his eyes to the small building before him, suddenly realizing how strange this was to him. He was being _asked_ to destroy something. This had never happened before. He had often destroyed things-buildings included-on accident or in a fit of rage, and had been chastised for it. But now….this was completely new.

Finally, Ralph snapped out of his thoughts and took a deep breath. Lifting his fist high above his head, the man brought it down full force into the wall in front of him, smashing it open. The people around him gasped. Ralph took another breath and continued, slowly tearing the building apart. With strength like his it was fairly easy, and even when he got to the tougher part of the foundation he was able to get through it fairly quickly.

As he reduced the last bit of the building to rubble, the crowd was cheering. Ralph still wasn't sure how he felt about being a sort of show for everyone, but hey-at least Queen Elsa was there. He would allow it just this once.

Looking up at Felix, he gave him the okay to clear the rubble and start building. As for Ralph, he tiredly walked away from the site, looking for a place to sit. Random people he had never seen before patted him on the back as he left, which was, again, strange.

"That was _incredible!"_

Ralph jumped in surprise at Princess Anna's voice, and it took him a moment to calm down. Why did these royal sisters keep sneaking up on him?

Princess Anna continued without missing a beat. "I mean, I didn't really believe it when that girl said you could smash a whole building but _whoa! _That was unbelievable! You're, like, some kind of superhuman!"

"I have to say, I'm impressed," Queen Elsa added, looking just as amazed as her sister. "I-I've never seen anyone who could do that before."

"It was so _cool!"_ the princess cried again. "How did you _do _it?"

Ralph looked at the ground and smiled sheepishly at their praise. "Uh, I...I don't know, really. It's not _that _great, I just have these...uh, big hands and arms that are good for smashing things...I guess."

"Whoa," the princess said, looking Ralph up and down. "That's insane! With strength like that, you must get a lot of attention, right?"

Ralph frowned. "Well, it's not really what you think, princess. I mean, in a family of carpenters, being able to destroy things isn't exactly applauded." he frowned down at his hands slightly. "I-It's a curse, really…"

Queen Elsa's smile suddenly faltered. "...A curse, huh?"

"Hah, well, I don't think you need to worry about that anymore," Princess Anna continued. "Cause everyone thinks you're amazing after today! Right, Elsa?"

Queen Elsa was staring at Ralph intently, but quickly snapped out of it when Princess Anna spoke to her. "Huh? Oh, yes. Of course. Thanks again, Ralph. We couldn't have done it without you."

Ralph smiled sheepishly at the ground once more. "Ah, it's no problem at all, your highness. Anytime."

The queen nodded politely before she and her sister turned to leave. Ralph lingered in his spot a moment longer, smiling to himself as he continued reveling in the sweet words of appreciation that he had just received. Hesitating for a moment, he looked up and took one last glance at Queen Elsa as she walked away.

For a moment, he could have sworn he saw her looking back at him.


End file.
